The Regrettable Century

Continuing what has become a series on Czechoslovak Socialism, we dive into the attempt to reform the Czechoslovak system. The official ML narrative and the liberal narrative about the Prague Spring are the same, they say that it was an attempt to re-establish bourgeois democracy. However, it seems clear that the intentions of its participants were the opposite. They appear to have been a genuine attempt to revitalize and push forward the communist project.  The Action Programme of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia https://www.marxists.org/subject/czech/1968/action-programme.htm Stoneman, Anna J. “Socialism With a Human Face: The Leadership and Legacy of the Prague Spring.” The History Teacher49, no. 1 (2015): 103–25.  Prague Spring Archive at MIA (worth browsing for historical first impressions) https://www.marxists.org/subject/czech/index.htm The Prague Spring of 1968: a glimpse of socialism? http://isj.org.uk/the-prague-spring/ Liehm, A. J. (1978). The Prague Spring and Eurocommunism. International Journal, 33(4), 804. doi:10.2307/40201691 Skilling, H. Gordon. "The Prague Spring Reassessed." Slavic Review 38, no. 4 (1979): 663-66. doi:10.2307/2496570. Reform and Counter-reform in Bureaucratic Power https://www.cddc.vt.edu/sionline/si/reform.html Music: Karel Kryl - Veličenstvo kat (English Translation) In a gloomy light of a gothic hall the scared profiteers are gazing into their missals and a horde of slayers is asking for blessing After all the first of the knights is his majesty executioner Aaah look the first of the knights is his Majesty Executioner Priest – the devil who served the mass is wearing a stole made from a hangmans slope Having a bottle of vitriol under the purple rochet The smell of sulfur coming from the mortars is crawling under the red hood of the first from all the knights his Majesty Executioner Aaah to the first of knights look it is his Majesty Executioner On the national flag there is an emblem with guillotine And the barbed wire smells by something decayed In our region is a flock of raven nesting the master hangman reigns these people The king is kneeing infront of Satan eagers to have the sceptre And the rabble is hanging the wise council at the plane tree And the heretic crowd is exhilarated and rejoices After all the first of knights is his Majesty Executioner Aaah the first of knights is his Majesty Executioner At a streetcorner a murderer is holding a lecture about moral Infront of the prison's door the guardians are walking From the military armour plate the black sign proclaims that the first of the knights is his Majesty Executioner Aaah that the first of the knights is his Majesty Executioner Over the government palace rises the flag with guillotine The children love the ice cream cornets The judges were upset about them so they killed their ice cream man A horrible state it was, as you ha Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

We are back at it again talking decadence theory with Varn. This week, we dig into Samir Amin's piece from Monthly Review. We discussed the following materials: Morley, Neville. "Decadence as a Theory of History." New Literary History, Vol. 35, No. 4, Forms and/of Decadence (Autumn, 2004), pp.573-585 Decadence: The Theory of Decline or the Decline of Theory https://libcom.org/library/decadence-aufheben-2 Revolution or Decadence? https://monthlyreview.org/2018/05/01/revolution-or-decadence/ Check out Varn Vlog Here https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

Come listen to the boys discuss Hegel's enduring importance to the contemporary world. Hegel Is Still an Important Thinker for the Left https://jacobin.com/2023/11/hegel-political-philosophy-world-revolutions-book-review Hegel in the Era of “Wokeness” https://jacobin.com/2023/12/hegel-wokeness-world-spirit-political-theory-history-philosophy-richard-bourke Reading Hegel on Bastille Day https://jacobin.com/2016/07/hegel-bastille-day-burke-french-revolution The dialectic in the service of revolution (up to/until the Marx section…) https://links.org.au/dialectic-service-revolution  Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

We soldier on through this excellent but little known work on the national question. This week we FINALLY finish Chapter 1. Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

Jonathan Haslam, an author renowned for his insights on the Comintern and Popular Front origins, dives deep into the triumphs and failures of Popular Frontism. He discusses its historical context in leftist politics, exploring alliances from the New Deal to contemporary movements. Haslam critiques compromises made during WWII and emphasizes the need for cohesive leftist strategies today. He also highlights the challenges of coalition-building and the importance of prefigurative politics in shaping effective political structures for genuine change.

The boys dive in to chapter 6 of Dugin's Fourth Political theory. Don't worry, there are literally no digressions and the guys stay on point the whole time. Check out Varn Vlog here: https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog/posts Check out Antifada here: https://www.patreon.com/theantifada Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

We just can't stop talking about Czechoslovak Socialism. We decided to deal with the Slovak portion of the Czechoslovak lands, which we feel has been a little neglected in our previous discussions. Slovakia is important as an integral part of the movement of Czechoslovak socialism and as a case study of the problem of the national question. If you have been following along with our discussions of Otto Bauer's work on the national question, you might appreciate the context. Hear the full episode: https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecentury  Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

C. Derick Varn, an expert in theories of decadence, crisis, and breakdown, joins the conversation to dissect societal decline and cultural evolution. They draw parallels between historical events like the fall of the Roman Empire and modern capitalist issues. The discussion delves into decadence theory's cyclical patterns, critiques of Marxist interpretation, and socioeconomic complexities. Historical events, such as the Protestant Reformation, are linked to current dynamics, highlighting the transformation of identities and socio-economic structures in contemporary society.

Back at it again with the national question and continuing the long march through chapter one. A link to the PDF: https://libcom.org/article/question-nationalities-and-social-democracy-otto-bauer Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

This is an impromptu episode recorded by Jason and Varn where they discuss their dissatisfaction with the general situation of American and world politics. It roughly fits in with the subject matter of our Dawn to Decadence series, so here ya go!  Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop